A/N: Oh gosh, I'm a terrible human being. I cannot believe it took so long for this chapter to get out of my head! And I know I started working on Mark of the Angel before I finished this (I should know by now that I'm no good at juggling multiple WIPs…) but hopefully I'll be able to work on both of these going forward.
Anyhow, a huge thanks to my wonderful beta westernbeauty for supporting me on both of these fics, you're awesome! And to everyone who has read/reviewed, thank you thank you! Oh, and be warned, flashbacks ahead! Things are going to get dark!
October 19th, 2012
The scenery outside passed in a blur of cars and trees and buildings lining the edge of the city as they drew closer to town. Thea chattered excitedly where she sat on her right and Felicity tried to pay attention to what the younger woman was saying. It was something about a wedding, something about spring and peonies and lavender bridesmaid dresses. And if she was at all interested in planning some big to-do for the day she and Oliver officially became husband and wife, she would've paid Thea more attention.
"What do you think? Late May, on the lawn at the mansion? It would be so beautiful and I know Mom and I could put together an amazing party."
Oliver squeezed her hand, her newly acquired piece of jewelry digging into her fingers, and she returned the gesture.
It had been less than three hours since they had announced their engagement over breakfast. His family had taken the news well, better than she'd honestly expected, and Felicity hadn't been at all surprised that Thea had been the one to latch on to the announcement and run with it. But it didn't make Oliver's little sister's constant wedding talk any easier to swallow.
"Speedy, please, we aren't setting a date or making plans yet. Felicity just said yes last night. We've got plenty of time to make arrangements."
Thea snorted.
"You really think Mom is going to buy that?"
Felicity worried her lower lip between her teeth and kept her gaze locked on their driver. Well, the back of his head, anyway. She wondered briefly about Mr. Diggle and his lack of speech that morning. She had been more than a little surprised to see their former – or so she thought – bodyguard standing in the foyer as she and Oliver descended the stairs. It had been days since she'd seen him. He hadn't taken well to the way that they'd evaded him repeatedly in the first week he'd been tasked with protecting them and when he'd stopped appearing every morning, Felicity had assumed that Moira had deemed him inadequate and relieved him of his position. Which, Felicity mused, would've been kind of her. It wasn't Mr. Diggle's fault that they continued avoiding his attempts to guard them. They didn't need guarding, either of them, and Oliver was hell bent on proving that. To whom, she hadn't actually decided.
"Felicity?"
She was drawn from her inner dialogue by Thea's finger prodding her in the ribs. Her gaze swung around to Oliver, one corner of his mouth turned up in an amused smirk. With wide eyes, she turned back to his sister.
"Sorry. I'm sorry. You were saying something?"
Thea shook her head, "You are a little odd. Has anyone ever told you that?"
"Once or twice."
Oliver squeezed her fingers again, the metal band of her ring warmed as a result of the combined heat of their hands, and she leaned a little more heavily into his side.
"I was saying that there's no way in hell my mother is going to let you get away with a small wedding. I mean, Ollie is the Queen heir. The first of us to get married. The prodigal son returned from the dead. It'll be a big to-do. A spectacular affair with hundreds of guests and expensive china and … Felicity? Felicity, breathe! Oh my god, I was – I was kidding! Sort of kidding! Ollie!"
Large hands cradled her face, turning her so that she was facing him where he crowded her, pressing his forehead to hers. Oliver's voice was quiet but commanding as he directed her to breathe. To close her eyes and push the panic aside.
She drew a ragged breath into her lungs and did as he asked.
It wasn't the wedding that Thea described that frightened her. It was the prospect of being the center of attention at such a wedding that had her trembling in terror. She wasn't that type of girl. Never had been and never would be if she had anything to say about it. In her short twenty four years she'd never fantasized about her wedding but she knew that saying 'I do' to a man like Oliver Queen was a big deal.
"I'm fine," she said after what seemed like eternity.
It didn't come out as convincing as she'd hoped given that her voice was hoarse and her lungs still burned but she'd managed to speak, at least, and that was something.
Oliver's thumbs skimmed her cheek bones.
"We can do whatever we want, Felicity. If you want to get married in front of two hundred people, that's fine, but if you want to go to the Justice of the Peace tomorrow, that's –"
"Ollie! You are not serious!"
He threw a glare at his sister, his eyes only leaving hers briefly, before they were back, bright blue shining at her happily.
"This is our wedding, honey, and that means you and I can do whatever we want. I'll make sure of it."
The car rolled to a stop as she nodded. She reached up and squeezed Oliver's fingers, drawing his hands from her face. Their joined hands fell to her lap.
"Sorry. I'm sorry. That was a mini freak out. Well, probably not so mini, just a freak out of normal proportions."
Oliver grinned, "One of us was bound to freak out."
"Of course it was me."
Her gaze traveled past him to a canopied entrance and the valet waiting to assist them out of the car. Chateau La Dux was one of the most expensive restaurants in the city. They'd yet to step foot inside its doors and Felicity hadn't had any plans to do so.
"This is where we're having lunch?" she asked a little dazedly.
Oliver looked past her, nodding.
"My mother's idea. A celebratory lunch."
"Our engagement?"
He nodded again, brushing a swift kiss across her partially opened mouth.
"It'll be fine, Felicity, I promise."
She inhaled deeply, closed her eyes and counted backwards from ten until her hammering heart slowed. She had zero regrets where Oliver was concerned. Falling in love with him, helping him, marrying him. She had no regrets whatsoever. But she was beginning to realize that it wasn't just him she was marrying. It was his family, the legacy of the Queens, which she was becoming a part of. It was more intimidating than she cared to admit.
Oliver's grip on her hand never lessened as she reigned in her emotions. When she was certain that she wasn't going to fall apart again, she squeezed his fingers and opened her eyes, finding his blue eyes smiling down at her. She nodded and braced herself for the storm to come.
Lian Yu, 2009
Felicity huddled further into the corner of her cell. The steel floor was frigid beneath her bare legs and the flimsy hospital gown that she wore did little to prevent the chill of the metal bars that caged her from seeping in. It was the only article of clothing she was allowed to wear, the only protection that she had against the leering eyes of Ivo's men. It did nothing to stop the twisting of her stomach as their revolting gazes traveled the length of her body.
She was alone in the dark for the first time in at least a day and she was cowering, pressed into the corner of the four by four room that she'd called home for an indeterminate amount of time. She had lost track so long ago. Days melded into weeks into months and then years. As the experiments became more… intensive, as Ivo's research became more advanced, her brain had become so addled by the pain an d the drugs that she could hardly remember her own name.
A noise sounded outside of her cell, outside of the darkness, and she flinched. She braced herself on instinct. She'd been left alone for so long and Felicity knew it wouldn't last. She knew that her reprieve would end and someone would come for her. They always came. Whether her body had had time to heal or not, they always came for her.
Another noise broke the silence, this one louder – closer – than the last, and she swallowed the bile that burned her throat.
The door to her cell creaked loudly as it swung open and the beam of a flashlight hit her square in the face. She sucked a sharp breath into her lungs and began to scream.
"No! No, no, no, no!" she cried, her own abused voice piercing the darkness, "Leave me alone! Don't touch me!"
A large hand landed on her naked calf as she struck out at the man who entered. Tears burned in her eyes as pain burst from multiple places on her body. Her ankles were still raw from the restraints they'd kept her in and she was certain she'd torn the sutures in her abdomen as she flailed against her attacker. His fingers closed around her leg as he tried to immobilize her, too close to the wound just above her right foot, and a sob broke free of her chest. He released her almost immediately.
"Shh! Hey, hey, stop! I'm not going to hurt you!"
His voice was gentle but urgent and she felt the air shift around her as he backed away. The space between them didn't ease her panic and another shot of burning pain tore through her as she kicked out at him again. The action caused fireworks of white light to erupt in front of her eyes. If she continued the way she was she would pass out from the pain but Felicity didn't care. She would've rather been unconscious when it happened again.
A second voice broke through the haze that surrounded her and with it, a sense of calm washed over her. She froze.
"Felicity! Felicity, its Sara!"
The woman's voice was just as gentle as the man's had been and it held a hint of familiarity. She knew Sara. Sara had been here, too. Wherever here was. But she'd gotten away. She'd gotten away because Ivo and his men hadn't wanted her. Sara had been able to escape.
"You – you came back."
A smaller hand touched her knee and Felicity jerked away, drawing her legs toward her chest. Sara's hand followed, closing around one of her own, and Felicity nearly wept with relief.
"I told you I would. We have to get you out of here, Felicity," Sara urged, "And we don't have much time."
Felicity nodded, ready to do whatever it took to get out of the hell they'd kept her in, and tried to stand. Her knees buckled before she was even able to lift herself off of the floor. A strong arm shot out to catch her, sliding around her waist. She tried to recoil, to shake off his touch, but he didn't allow it this time. Instead, his other arm slipped beneath her knees and she was suddenly being cradled against his chest. Her heart erupted in her chest, skittering along like that of a frightened rabbit.
She must've made a noise, something that alerted Sara to her distress, because the other woman ran a hand over Felicity's tangled hair.
"He won't hurt you, I promise. This is Oliver. He's my friend."
She blinked against the sudden light that shown across the man's face. Sara was aiming her flashlight right at them and for the first time, Felicity got a look at the first man to hold her with care since she'd arrived in this god forsaken place. His hair was too long and his face wasn't exactly clean but his blue eyes were soft and kind and she wondered briefly how he'd ended up here, too.
She was aware of the fact that the gown she wore was the only thing separating her naked flesh from him and even though Sara seemed certain that Oliver wouldn't hurt her, Felicity had no way to be sure. Fear made her stomach roil.
"I – I can walk. I want to walk."
Sara and Oliver seemed to have a silent conversation over the course of the next minute and then Sara shook her head.
"Sweetie, your ankles are bruised where they're not bleeding and you're feet are swollen pretty badly. I think you'll do more damage to them if you try to put your weight on them. Besides, we have to be quick. Let him carry you. Please."
Felicity stared at Sara, her eyes struggling to make out the shape of her face, but even in the dark she could see her eyes pleading with her to let them help. She wanted to trust Oliver simply for the fact that Sara did but she didn't know how. But, she decided, she didn't have to trust him entirely in that moment. She only had to trust him to get her out of there and it was a risk that Felicity was willing to take.
She nodded her consent and forced herself to relax as much as possible into Oliver's embrace.
"What the hell did they do to her, Sara? She's – she's covered in blood. This thing she's wearing is filthy and she weighs next to nothing. What the fuck is happening on that ship?"
Felicity came into consciousness slowly and shrouded in confusion. She was lying on her side with a scratchy wool blanket tucked around her. For the first time in longer than she could remember, she was warm. The ache that had settled permanently in her bones so many months ago had thawed after what couldn't have been more than a few hours. She blinked her eyes open to find a shaft of sunlight streaming down on her. She wasn't sure where exactly she was but it was clear that Sara had made good on her promise. She was no longer on the Amazo with Anthony Ivo and his men.
A strangled sob escaped her.
"Hey, shh, you're okay."
Sara appeared in her line of sight, sinking to her knees beside her and helping Felicity sit up. She pressed her weight into the other woman's side as her arm came around her.
"You're okay now, Felicity."
Sara's voice was soft and steady and Felicity tried not to choke on the lump in her throat. She'd lived in fear and darkness since the day that they took her and finally – finally – she was free.
Another figure came to crouch down beside her and she barely recognized the man Sara introduced to her as Oliver. He looked like he'd at least washed his face and as he smiled at her, she could see how young he was. And she could see the genuine concern for her in his eyes. She pressed herself further into Sara's side.
"Thank you," she murmured, her voice shaky, "For – for helping me."
Oliver nodded, his hand moving slowly toward her damaged ankles and his eyes locked on hers, asking for permission. She didn't speak but she didn't move either and when Oliver's fingers grazed along the instep of her foot, she shuddered.
"I don't think anything is broken and the swelling looks like it's going down," Oliver's voice was gentle as his fingers prodded her bruised flesh gingerly, "You tore out a couple of stitches though. Sara – Sara took care of that."
Felicity felt warmth flood her face. She'd known her sutures had been pulled back in her cell when she'd fought against him. She'd felt the sting as they'd ripped her flesh but there'd been so much else happening around her that she hadn't considered that there'd be blood on her gown and that Oliver and Sara would see. The injuries that they couldn't see were far worse than the ones that they could and Felicity knew that revealing them would only lead to more questions. Oliver was already staring at her, studying her, and his intent gaze made her uneasy. But not – she realized – in the same way that Ivo's men had made her uneasy. There was something in Oliver's blue eyes that made her want to trust him.
She cleared her throat uncomfortably and drew the blanket tighter to her chest.
"Where are we?"
Her eyes traveled around the space that housed them. It was mostly enclosed with a few gaping holes here and there but it looked an awful lot like the cargo hold of a freight plane.
"No idea how long it's been here," Oliver confirmed, his words making her realize that she'd voiced her thoughts out loud.
"Oh."
"We're on the island. The Amazo was anchored just off-shore."
She had known the moment that she'd woken up that they were on dry land. There'd been no steady rocking beneath her to indicate that they were still on the water. And she could smell trees and earth and humidity in the air that meant rain was coming. She knew without stepping foot outside that she was no longer on the ship.
"Why – why didn't you take me to the hospital?"
Oliver exchanged a look with Sara. She looked over at her friend, a horrible feeling blooming in the pit of her stomach.
"There is no hospital on this island, Felicity. It's not that kind of island."
Felicity let out a humorless laugh before asking, "What does that mean, exactly? Are we talking Isla Nubla here? Jurassic Park, style?"
A smirk softened Oliver's features and Sara just shook her head.
"Jurassic Park would probably be safer than this place," Sara told her.
Felicity sighed, lifting a shaky hand to rub her eyes.
"So you pulled me out of hell and brought me to –"
"Lian Yu. It means purgatory."
The heavily accented voice cut through the air, making Felicity flinch. Sara responded immediately, bringing Felicity further into her side and shielding her body with her own. Oliver was on his feet suddenly, towering over them where they remained on the floor. His stance was tense, guarded, and she couldn't help feeling at least a little safer with him there.
"Dragged in another stray, huh, Kid?"
Oliver glanced down at her.
"She's a friend of Sara's. Ivo had her out there. He was going to kill her."
"So what? You thought it was a good idea to bring her here? Put an even bigger target on our backs?" the other man barked out, "Jesus, kid, where's your head?"
Oliver's fists clenched where they hung at his sides.
"They were torturing her. Who knows what Ivo would've done if –"
"Can you please stop talking about me like I'm not sitting right here?" Felicity snapped suddenly, annoyance flooding her.
She struggled to her feet, grateful when Sara stood beside her to support most of her weight, and reached a hand out to settle on Oliver's forearm. He took a step in her direction, allowing her to use him as a crutch as well. The act of standing alone caused a pain unlike anything Felicity had felt before to shoot through her lower extremities. She bit her lip to keep from crying out even as tears welled in her eyes. Sara clutched her hand tightly and Felicity dug her nails into Oliver's arm. It took her longer than it should've to steady herself enough to speak.
"I don't want to be a burden on anyone. That isn't why I'm here. I – I don't really know why I'm here, to be honest. All I know is that because of my father, Anthony Ivo thought that I had something that he needed. And because of that, he spent … years experimenting on me. Torturing me. So you can believe, Mr…"
Oliver filled in the blank for her.
"Slade. Slade Wilson."
"You can believe Mr. Wilson that if Ivo or his men do show up here, you won't have to worry about me. You won't have to protect me. I'll kill anyone who tries to take me back there."
